Independent Fury
by Marlene Chan
Summary: The first time Sakura met him held a lasting impression. He was by far the most arrogant jerk she'd ever met!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

Prologue

For Dr. Sakura Haruno, the hospital is a second home. It is the place where she feels she is helpful and most comfortable. One could say that the term "hospital" defines her. Her hands on work ethic and vast knowledge on the numerous diseases and ailments that can harm the human body makes her very sufficient in all areas of medicine. Although she specializes in allergy and immunology, Dr. Haruno's favorite area of work is in the pediatric ward. With her bubbly personality and kind smile, the children enjoy her presence making her a perfect candidate for the job. Also, to the amusement of the children she has pink hair which aids Sakura in distracting her young patients long enough to figure out why they are in the hospital in the first place without them getting scared of all the equipment one has to use.

As per usual for hospitals, today was one incident after another. So far they had multiple cases of broken bones, deep cuts requiring stitching, and her current case is one of child malnutrition. The later being what put Sakura in such a foul mood. She had seen this particular boy three times in the past year. His name is Kyo and at the moment, looked absolutely miserable.

"Hey there Kyo," she said with a smile on her face, "What's the matter with you today huh?"

"My tummy hurts."

_He's complaining about the same thing since the last time I saw him, which was a little over a week ago. He's still being malnourished. _Sakura thought with a disappointing look on her face.

"Have you been feeling like you are weak?"

The little boy just looked at his mom. Sakura followed his gaze and repeated her question.

"Has he been complaining of feeling dizzy at all? Has he fainted?"

"He fainted yesterday. " The mother replied. Sakura hated to admit it, but this woman standing in front of her sounded fake. She is acting as though she cares but the boy's actions speak otherwise. He had been withdrawing from his mother's caresses and hugs the entire time she had been in the room.

"We'll need to run a few blood tests to check his iron and sugar levels." She notified the mother who obliged and left the room to fill out some paperwork. Sakura took the opportunity to ask Kyo a few more questions.

"Kyo, did you eat breakfast this morning?" He replied with a no.

"What about last night? What did you have for dinner?"

"I had rice and bread." His answer just proved her theory. Sakura left the room and informed the nurses of their tasks.

She was only a little surprised to see their village's Hokage, Tsunade, had beat her to the test results. Tsunade was a fearless leader who watched over Konoha. She is also their head medic and Sakura's mother. The bodacious blonde currently had her head bowed over Kyo's folder and was reading the content when Sakura arrived to retrieve it. She merely leaned up against the counter and waited for her mentor to finish.

"This boy," Tsunade started, "is the same boy who came in not too long ago correct?" A head nod was all she received in return for an answer.

"And his results have remained the same." Sakura's voice was one of concern. She really did have a soft spot for children and hated seeing any one of them hurt or not feeling well.

"Very well then. Because Kyo's legal guardian, his mother, neglected to heed our persistent warnings and nourish him sufficiently, I have no choice but to call Konoha Child Care Services. He will be taken away and put in their immediate care."

"Yes my lady. I will inform the mother."

_Honestly! How can people neglect children like this? They're human beings! _She thought as she left Lady Tsunade to inform the mother.

_To have their children in such a bad state that we are forced to take them away from their family to protect them is ridiculous! _

Konoha Police showed up soon after to arrest the mother under the charges of child neglect, and Sakura was left to inform little Kyo of what was to happen to him. Just as Konoha Child Care showed up to fill out necessary paperwork for the boy, the page system went off.

"Dr. Haruno to the Emergency Room. Dr. Haruno to the Emergency Room."

Sakura sighed_. Today is going to be a long day._

* * *

><p>As Sakura was leaving from her shift she noticed she had a message on her cell phone and clicked to listen.<p>

"Hey Sakura Chan! Its' Naruto. Meet me at Ichiraku after work I want to talk to you about something. Ok BYE!"

She couldn't help but smile at her childhood friend's throaty laugh at the end of his message. Naruto had been her friend since she was very young. They were only five years old when she found him on the swings all by himself at the local park. As she had approached she noticed he was crying.

_"Why are you crying" she asked._

_The boy before her looked up at her and began in vain to wipe away the tears only to have more replace them. _

_"Come on stop crying. Boys aren't supposed to cry."_

_The boy sniffled a little before asking a question of his own._

_"W-Why are you being so nice to me?" She looked at him with a dumbfounded face and returned with a question of her own._

_"Well why not? You never did anything bad to me. Why can't I be nice to you?" The two just stared at each other for a while before he broke the silence._

_"I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki and I'm gonna be Hokage some day!" The boy said in confidence. The girl giggled a little at his change in attitude and stated her own name._

_"Sakura Haruno. Nice to meet you! Wanna' play with me?" Naruto's face lit up at the question and he nodded his head excitedly._

She had received disapproval from her parents once they found out their only daughter had befriended the troublemaker of Konoha.

_"You are not to see that boy again!"_

When she asked why they did not want her to see him again they simply told her it was because he 'did not belong with us'. To the chagrin of her parents, little Sakura refused to believe them and continued to see and play with Naruto. Their friendship only grew closer with the village's disapproval but soon people began to come around. More villagers accepted Naruto for who he was and the condescending stares had stopped for the most part.

Unfortunately for Sakura though, the arguments with her parents had yet to come to an end. Alas, on that one fateful day when she was twelve they decided to finally approach their only daughter in hopes of corrupting her view of the blonde boy their village finally began to accept. Her parents had sat her down at their kitchen table to discuss the topic of Naruto Uzumaki with her.

_"Sakura," her father began, "by now you are old enough to make your own decisions in life and we think this is the proper time to have this discussion." _

_Sakura's mother continued on, "About that boy you associate yourself with-"_

_"Naruto. His name is Naruto." _

_"Do not interrupt your mother when she is speaking!" Sakura glared at her father. Her relationship with her parents had really taken a turn for the worst. She just could not understand why they did not accept Naruto. Everyone else did._

_"As I was saying before you interrupted, that boy you associate yourself with, _Naruto_," her mother's voice was filled with disgust as she spoke Naruto's name, "is the reason so many people criticize you. You have no idea the rumors I have been hearing about you lately."_

_"Well they _are_ rumors. Ignore them."_

_"That is not the case! You are dishonoring this family just by disobeying us!" Her father's eyes had turned a hard green, indicating his frustration with the situation. "We told you to stay away from him, yet you refused. Now, your mother and I have come up with an ultimatum." Her parents turned to each other then, sending one another hard looks before her mother continued._

_"Our proposal to you is this: End your friendship with that, that thing, or abandon this family."_

_Sakura could not believe it. Her own parents are willing to disown her because of a friendship she had with a boy? They were mad because she was 'dishonoring the family name'?_

_It did not take her long to realize her decision. She wanted nothing more to do with her parents._

_Slowly, Sakura rose from her place at the dining room table and stated her decision without hesitation._

_"I choose Naruto."_

_Naruto had been furious when he found out. He demanded Sakura take back what she said and go back to her parents. She merely smiled and hugged Naruto. Silently thanking him._

_When Sakura was officially disowned the only thing she kept of her old family was her last name. Konoha's Hokage and Sakura's mentor, Tsunade, legally adopted her and, at the young age of thirteen, began to study medicine under her mother. _

Thinking back on her past Sakura realized if she was able to do it again, she would not change anything. Befriending that blonde knucklehead was the best thing that could have happened to her. Because of Naruto she had grown into the smart, independent woman she is today with plenty of friends and a loving mother to support her.

_Thank you Naruto. _

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading! Please review, okay? :)<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…You would know if I did

Chapter One

Meeting

_"When you meet someone for the first time, that's not the whole book. That's the first page."_

_ – Brody Armstrong_

xXx

"Hey Sakura Chan!" Naruto's arm was waving enthusiastically as his boisterous voice carried to her ears. "Over here!"

Sakura's eye twitched.

_Leave it to Naruto to make a scene wherever he goes._ She smiled nonetheless. She always enjoyed the time she spent with her blond friend.

"Hey Naruto." She returned his smile with her own. As she sat down at the familiar ramen shop she could not help but notice the three empty bowls that already sat in front of his seat.

"You know, eating ramen for every meal of everyday is not healthy." She warned with a frown on her face. "You need to eat some vegetables." Naruto just chuckled at her statement.

"Don't worry Sakura Chan. I'm as healthy as I can be." He banged his fist against his chest for emphasis.

Sakura ordered her own meal and they conversed about their days. He spoke to her enthusiastically about his martial arts training for the day. Of course he could not omit the part about how he kicked his sparring partner's ass.

"I've been working on some new moves." He said slurping some more ramen from the bowl that had just been put down. "Just you wait Sakura Chan. I'm going to win this year's Martial Arts Tournament! I'll show everyone how strong I've become!"

"Not if you jump into the fight without thinking about it first you won't."

Naruto's face fell comically as he rested his head on the bar. "Awe Sakura Chan that hurt." Her giggles were his only response.

She has to admit though; Naruto was a very strong martial artist. Since he joined his dojo at the young age of eleven, he's only gotten stronger. Now nineteen, he was a force to reckon with. In his last two championship matches he had been defeated early. The first time he tied in the Preliminaries with a Sand fighter.

Desert Storm had been his fighting name.

She remembered that fight. The red head had been crazy while fighting with Naruto. Both men were not only exchanging blows, but words with each other, well if she was being honest with herself; it was more like they were sharing yells with one another. The look in her friend's eyes was full of desperation. In the end, both participants had been so roughed up by each other they had not been allowed to enter the Finals due to their injuries. Surprisingly though, Naruto wasn't as sad as she thought he'd be. Instead he left the arena after all the Preliminaries with his head held high and a new friend. Gaara, had been the fighters name, developed a deep respect for the blond and to this day the two remain close friends and often write each other.

His second year went much the same way. The only difference was Naruto's opponent was fighting illegally. His opponent somehow managed to get behind him and delivered a precise kick to the back of Naruto's head. The force had knocked him to the ground where the other man continued attacking her dear friend's head and delivered blows to his exposed spine. Officials ended the fight and Naruto was forcibly medically evacuated. Gaara had been livid and he went on to win the rest of his fights and the entire tournament all together. He was brutal towards that particular opponents teammates; brutal, but completely fair.

"So anyway, what did you want to talk about?"

"Right," Naruto's face turned serious as he turned his entire body towards her on his stool. "I already know you're going to turn the offer down but just hear me out." Sakura slanted her eyes at him but nodded for him to continue. If Naruto is serious about something, it's definitely not wise to just ignore him.

"You've heard about the recent attacks right? About the women being" he paused as if searching for the right word, "assaulted when they are alone?" She nodded. "Well, I'm worried about you." He shut down the comment she was about to say and continued.

"You walk home from work at different times during the night every day." She was about to say another comment but Naruto just held up his index finger and effectively silenced her once again. "Don't you dare tell me your apartment isn't that far because it is." Sakura deflated. She was indeed about to say something along those lines.

"Naruto, I can take care of myself." It was her turn to this time to keep him from saying his own comment. "You should know that better than anyone. After all, you are normally the one on the other side of my punches." She said matter-of-factly.

"Hey now," raising his hands in defense, "I never said you couldn't take care of yourself. I know you are capable of sending any jerk who tried to hurt you to the hospital with various injuries-"

"-And refuse to treat him." Naruto chuckled.

"I still think you should practice at the dojo. Now before you say no, let me finish." Sakura let her breath out yet again in favor of not saying anything. "As I said before, I know you can take care of yourself, but my sensei's can properly train you in self-defense. These criminals are using the element of surprise to temporarily freeze their victims. In that one moment your body can be forced into a position even you cannot overcome. We can properly train you to defend against that if it happens."

"We?" Naruto graced her with another one of his infamous chuckles and placed his left hand behind his head.

"Well yeah. I'm a Captain now and you'll be working with me too."

…. Working with Naruto? She mentally sighed. That won't lead to anything productive.

Naruto's face took on another serious expression as he continued. "Just think about it ok? The offer still stands." Sakura nodded her head and turned back to her meal when Naruto spoke again. He had a grin on his face that made him look like a conniving child.

"And just think, you and I will be sparring and we'll most likely end up on the ground….with hot sweaty bodies…..rolling around on each other…..hands roaming- OW!"

"THAT'S FOR BEING A PERVERT!"

* * *

><p>With their meals finished, Naruto insisted on walking Sakura back to her apartment. She figured it would be ok seeing as he would have to pass it in order to make it to his own flat anyway. Their walk carried out in comfortable silence, both being too engrossed in their own thoughts.<p>

_Naruto does make a valid point about learning how to properly fight_. _And it really couldn't hurt to learn something as useful as self-defense._ Said blond interrupted her thoughts with his next comment.

"You know Sakura Chan, it could happen again." His posture was relaxed, with his hands in his pockets and eyes forward. "That guy back then was an amateur. He probably just went on impulse." Sakura inhaled deeply. That was never an incident she was too keen on re-living.

They made it to her home a few minutes later and, being the gentleman Naruto is, he walked his best friend up the stairs right to her door. Sakura turned to him after unlocking it.

"Thank you, Naruto. And don't worry; everything you said tonight did not fall on deaf ears."

"If anything were to happen to you Sakura Chan, I would never forgive myself." She put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly and smiled up at him.

"I'm not going anywhere," his sad cerulean eyes looked into her soft emerald ones. "I'm sure your training will prevent that." It looked as though Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Thank you, Sakura Chan!" Happy he was getting the answer he wanted, Naruto scooped his petite friend up in his arms and gave her a tight hug. She couldn't help but laugh a little at his reaction. Finally setting her on her own feet he continued. "You can stop by tomorrow for orientation and meet everyone."

"Ok, I will." She paused and allowed a mischievous look pass through her eyes. "Although there is one thing I want you to remember the next time I hit you." Naruto's face fell a little as she turned to go inside her apartment. "This was all your idea."

* * *

><p>"Yes, Ino you know me so well. I just want to be around sexy martial artists all the day." Sakura's expression was mocking as she held her mobile phone to her ear. Ino called her shortly after she got home that night. Sakura was currently sitting in her bed propped up by the headboard and a pillow tucked to her chest.<p>

Ino had been her best friend since she could remember. As a young child, Sakura was very shy and being new to school did not help her make many friends. Well, no friends actually. Then Ino introduced herself one day. Sakura remembered that day clearly. She had been sitting in a field looking at flowers during recess when a young girl approached her.

_"Hey, why are you so sad?" Said girl bent down in front of Sakura's dejected form._

_The young pinkette sniffed before answering, "Why do you care?"_

_"Well, why can't I?" _This girl, she's in my class. Sakura couldn't think of her name. _The girl_ _was real cute with her short blonde hair and pale blue eyes. Young Sakura watched as said girl sat down next to her on the grass, waiting patiently for an answer._

_"It's because I'm a freak."_

_Ino looked at her honestly. "Well you do look a little weird, with the way you wear your hair." It was something Sakura did to hide her big forehead so no one would notice. After all, it's what all the other girls made fun of her for. _

_"Here, let me fix it." With that, the pretty girl turned to face Sakura and parted her bangs from her forehead. "There! Much prettier."_

_"But my forehead!"_

_"What about it?"_

_"It's so big." Sakura tried covering it again with her hands but was restrained from doing so._

_"That's just silly! Besides, if you wear your hair like that it just draws more attention to it!" She smiled and giggled at the young girl in front of her. "I'm Ino. What's your name?"_

_"Sakura."She said meekly._

_"What?"Feigning deafness, Ino cupped her hand to her ear, "I couldn't hear you." _

_"Sakura!" She said a little louder._

_"That's better!" Ino started giggling again. She stayed and conversed with Sakura until their teacher called them in again. _

They've been inseparable ever since, Sakura thought with a smile. Ino's laughter interrupted her little reverie.

"Oh come on Forehead! What other reason do you have?!"

Sakura bristled with the use of her old nickname. "You're just jealous Ino Pig!"

"…"

"…"

"You're lucky I love you."

"I could same the same for you." All joking went away with Ino's next question.

"Is it because of the recent events?"

A pause. "Yes. Naruto is adamant I learn how to properly defend myself."

She heard her long time friend sigh on the other side of the line. "I know. I've been thinking about taking up a self-defense class." She paused. "One of the girls…lives in my complex."

"What?!"

"Yeah, apparently she never came home the other night. The authorities are still looking for her."

"Did you know her?"

"Not really. We only spoke when we randomly passed each other. It really hit home though Sak." Sakura could now say she understood Naruto's worry. Knowing that could've been Ino… Sakura was plagued with the fear of losing her best friend.

"Well, you know where the dojo is. Meet me there tomorrow morning. It's orientation."

There was only a slight pause of consideration before Ino agreed to meeting at the dojo.

"Besides, you really think I'm going to let you have all that sexy meat to yourself? Get real Sakura." The smirk was evident in her voice.

"Ugh, you really need to sort out your priorities Pig."

"Oh whatever!" They shared a laugh together before wishing each other a good night.

That night, Sakura was plagued with nightmares from her past. Things she'd thought she'd forgotten. And those eyes, those deep black eyes.

* * *

><p><em>Jeez! Could this place be any more confusing?<em> Sakura was currently trying to find her way to the meeting room she was told oh, so eloquently this morning by none other than Naruto himself. He had called her around 3 am to inform her the meeting place had been moved to their dojo's 'headquarters', as he called it. Leave it to Naruto to leave out any sort of directions. She was rounding yet another corner in what she hoped to be the right building when she ran into something. Pain instantly shot through her nose as she lost her balance and fell backward.

Wincing in the unexpected pain, Sakura outwardly cursed as she fell on her rear._ What the hell! Did I just hit a wall?! _A grunt signified that no, she did not hit a wall, but a person.

Sakura opened her eyes to see a tall man looming over her crumpled form. He had rich black hair that stuck out in a weird style, high cheek bones, a strong chin, a very muscular physique, and deep black eyes. This man practically radiated masculinity. His looks were the epitome of handsome.

That image was ruined with his first words.

"Watch where you're going." His voice was full of malice and his eyes formed into slits as he glared at Sakura's form.

She couldn't help it. Her jaw dropped as he stepped over her fallen form as if to continue on his merry way. That jerk! He didn't even offer to help her up!

"Hey!" Sakura yelled at his retreating form as she righted herself. "Hey I'm talking to you!" Her anger got the better of her as he still continued to ignore her. "Hey, bastard!"

The man ceased his retreat. _THAT got his attention. _Sakura thought morbidly.

He slowly turned around to face her. She didn't think his glare could have got any more intense. She was wrong. "What did you call me?" He hissed.

Sakura deadpanned. "Obviously you heard me."

"What should have come out of your mouth was an apology. Not an insult."

It was her turn to look offended. "Excuse me! An apology for what?! It's not like I ran into you on purpose!" If she wasn't yelling before, she sure was now.

"Hn." He turned again and continued on his way to his destination. "You're not worth my time."

Sakura was still fuming when he walked out of sight around another corner. "That arrogant jerk! Thinking he's better than me." Shrieking in frustration, Sakura turned around and began walking, well stomping, in the original direction she was headed. _How dare he?_ The worst part of the whole encounter was while he was glaring at her on the floor, she was thinking how handsome he was. Hell, she was downright ogling him! She gave and indignant huff as she opened a random door and, not caring one bit, walked right on through.

"Sakura Chan, you made it!" Naruto's energetic attitude took a downfall once he took in his best friend's appearance. She looked livid. He was scared to ask what was wrong as he slowly approached her. "Sakura Chan?"

"It's nothing Naruto!" She snapped at him. He could've sworn he heard her cursing arrogant jerks under her breath.

"Ok." He said rather wary. "Anyway, come on in and meet the guys!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward a small group of people conversing near the center of the room.

The room itself was rather large. Where Naruto's martial arts buddies were congregated looked to be a small recreational area. A small wooden table was at the far wall that was well stocked with water and personal belongings. Down the hall way from this room looked to be where all the sparring happened. She could just make out some equipment around the corner.

"Sakura Chan, this is Neji, Kiba, Lee, Shikamaru, and TenTen Chan. Guys, this is Sakura Chan!" He pointed to everyone accordingly. Neji, had long dark hair that cascaded down his back and looked to be tied back loosely. His eyes were a very pale grey-whitish color. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest and an unreadable expression, but nodded at her when introduced.

The next guy, Kiba, gave a doggish grin at his name. His short brown hair stuck up in different directions and he had triangular markings on his cheeks.

Lee, as Naruto introduced him, wore a ridiculously green jumpsuit. His bowl cut hair style and bushy eyebrows made him look quite odd. But his overly big smile gave him away as the 'good guy' type. He struck a thumbs up pose at her in welcome.

Shikamaru looked as though he wanted to be elsewhere at the moment. His black hair was restrained high in his head giving off the impression of a pineapple. His whole body gave off the feeling of disinterest, with his slouched position, lazy eyes, and hands shoved in his pockets, but he nodded at her in greeting as well.

The female, TenTen, had a very tough disposition but the engaging smile threw the whole look off balance. Her brown hair was styled in two buns on each side of her head and she seemed to have some sort of weapon strapped at her back.

All were wearing appropriate fighting attire.

Sakura bowed in greeting, "It's very nice to meet you."

"Sakura San! Your beauty is one I have never seen before! Please do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend!"

Sakura stared.

An unceremonious 'oof' was heard as TenTen brought her hand rather harshly to the top of Lee's head.

"Lee! You only just met her! Don't scare her you idiot!" TenTen turned to look at Sakura then, "Just ignore him Sakura. He shouts about beauty and youthfulness at random times during the day."

"But TenTen!" Lee was still holding his head and looking at his offender pleadingly.

"No buts'!"

"Yeah, stay away from Sakura Chan bushy-brows! If she's going to go out with anyone it's going to be me! Not some weirdo in green spandex!"

It was Sakura's turn to hit Naruto. "Ugh! You idiot!" Naruto fell to the floor with the force of her punch. A low whistle was heard and she looked to see Kiba grinning like a fool.

"Yeah, I think you should be just fine here Sakura." They all shared a laugh, or in Neji's case, a smirk, at Kiba's remark.

They all conversed amongst each other after that. Sakura found herself instantly befriending TenTen. Similar personality's maybe? Not too long after, Ino walked in. Sakura was glad she had a chance to tell Naruto to call Ino during his impromptu phone call that morning.

"Oi, Forehead!"

"Hey Pig, this is TenTen," she said gesturing to the petite brunette beside her. "TenTen, this is my good friend Ino." TenTen introduced the dazzling blonde to the rest of the group and Ino instantly took to nagging Shikamaru about his laziness. Before she knew it, quite a few people had entered the room and it was full of different conversations.

_There are a lot of girls here. I wonder if it's because of the recent events?_

As Sakura was looking around the room she noticed two older gentlemen enter. One had silver spiky hair and he wore a mask that covered his left eye. He was reading a little orange book upon his entrance and proceeded to do so. How he managed not to bump into anyone was beyond Sakura.

The other man looked to be an older version of Lee. Green Spandex and all. Both commanded attention as they walked to the front of the room, silencing the various conversations. Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, Lee, and Kiba all went to the front alongside the new comers.

"Good morning everyone," The silver haired man greeted. He seemed to have finally put his book away now. "For those of you who don't know, I am Hatake Kakashi, and this," He gestured to the green clad man next to him, "is Might Gai. We are the head Sensei's of this dojo.

These five men to our right are Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Neji, Nara Shikamaru, Rock Lee, and Inuzuka Kiba," Kakashi gestured to all accordingly, "and they are the Captains."

Sakura couldn't help but smile at the smug smirks that adorned Naruto's and Kiba's faces at their introduction.

"We hope you will all strive for the best in your youthful journey towards becoming a martial artist!"

Sakura raised her brows. _Yup, they are so identical._

"Also," Kakashi continued, "There is a member who could not be here today for he is traveling to another dojo at the moment. His name is Sasuke Uchiha and is also a Captain. You'll be able to meet him soon." Sakura heard a couple of girls giggle at this unknown man's name.

She looked to her right to find said girls looking at each other and squealing in delight. Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

><p>The orientation proceeded as any would: introductions, some light paperwork, and instructions on the basics of fighting. It didn't take long to be divided into groups and paired off with different Captains. Sakura herself was in a group with Ino, TenTen, and some unknown females.<p>

They stood in a corner as Kiba walked to their front.

"Alright," He began. "We're going to go over some basic moves to get out of an unwanted hold."

The day progressed like this. Each group traveled around the fighting space to different Captains who fulfilled different purposes. When it was Sakura's turn to be with Naruto, he was nothing but professional in his teachings.

She learned TenTen preferred to use weapons. The one strapped to her back was a blunt staff. She had also learned the bunned girl had been with this dojo for three years and has participated in a few tournaments. A part of Sakura couldn't wait to see the girl at her one hundred percent.

She was able to officially meet her two Sensei's and, much like everyone else she'd met today, immediately took a liking to them. Gai's positive attitude and his bond with Lee were pleasant traits of the muscular man. Kakashi gave off an overwhelming feeling of wisdom and protection that strangely comforted the pinkette. Sakura found herself looking forward to her future in martial arts training.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading! Please Review :)<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

1.) So, with this summer semester is coming to an end I am hoping to be able to update more frequently. It's been a year and a half since I started this but I'm still interested in it and I have not forgotten it. I just had some writer's block for a while.

2.) I got two reviews!

**LuckyGem **and **minniemousemom**. Thank you for your reviews. I know I've read a lot of stories and I hardly leave reviews, even on the ones that I absolutely loved and have re-read three times. So thank you for taking the time to do so.

Lastly, I do not own Naruto. That privilege belongs to Kishimoto-san alone.

Chapter Two

Grudge

"_To be wronged is nothing, unless you continue to remember it." _

_- Confucius_

xXx

A sigh escaped Kirimi's lips as she made her way through the familiar streets back home. It was almost dark and all she wanted to do was go to sleep. She hung her head as she drug her feet and her blonde pigtails came into her line of sight. She really needed a haircut. Sighing again, she turned her bright blue eyes up at the sky as she mused about her long week ahead of her.

_Let's see, I have a test tomorrow in Osaka Sensei's class., there's also that quiz in Tanaka Sensei's class, and I have to meet up with Mizutani-chan at that café around the corner so we can study for our upcoming exam._

_"_Oh man! I'm so stressed out! Damn Miyabi-senpai for making us run laps after kendo practice!" She grabbed at her high pig tails in frustration. "Not only am I going to be up late studying for everything, but mother's going to kill me if I'm not home in time for dinner!" At that statement she looked back up at the sky to see it rapidly darkening.

_Yeah, mother's going to kill me._

"Good evening young lady." The deep voice made Kirimi stop her slow pace and turn around. The man that faced her wore a grey suit and dress shoes. His dark brown hair hung low in his face obscuring his eyes. His posture was relaxed as he stood a respectful amount of space away from her.

Her politeness getting the better of her, Kirimi graced the stranger with a smile and gave her own greeting.

"What are you doing out so late tonight?"

"Oh, I'm just on my way home from school. I kind of got a delayed start on my journey."

"I see." The man looked thoughtful for a moment before taking a cautious step toward her. "You know, it's dangerous out here for young women such as yourself. Please, allow me to escort you home." He held his hand out to her and offered a sincere smile.

Kirimi took a step back and gave what she hoped sounded like a lighthearted laugh and held her hands up in front of her chest. "Thank you for your concern but that's unnecessary. I'm nearly home anyway." She lied.

"Please, I insist." The man began walking toward her again.

Warning bells were ringing in her head as she took yet another step back from the approaching man. _This guy; something doesn't feel right. _She did away with the pleasantries and planted a serious look on her face. Her voice was stern when she said "Look, I said I don't need your help. Now, I suggest you leave me be unless you want to be in a world of pain." She smirked at the man as he stopped his approach.

"That's not a very nice thing to say, young lady." The man shook his head disapprovingly. "You know, you should really learn to respect your elders!"

Kirimi's stomach took a nose dive as the man lunged for her. On instinct, she sidestepped his attempt to grab at her and reached for her wooden kendo sword strapped at her back. With the familiar feeling in her hands, she pounced toward him, aiming a blow at his chest. Her target easily dodged her attempt and swatted at her weapon attempting to knock it from her hands. She only took a stronger hold of her favorite weapon and quickly went into a half crouch and lunged again.

"That's enough of this nonsense." The suited man effortlessly took hold of her kendo sword and tossed it aside. Defenseless, Kirimi turned to run but was halted as she felt the man grab her right wrist. Said wrist was forcibly restrained behind her back. Her pain-filled scream was cut short as his free hand covered her mouth. "Now young lady, behave."

_As if!_ She thought acerbically. At a desperate attempt to get free the young blonde began struggling in the man's hold.

"Now now, I said to be _behave_." The man hissed the last word in her ear making shivers run down her spine.

Her chest constricted as the fear finally overwhelmed her. _Oh no! What's going to happen to me?! _

"Don't you worry that pretty little head of yours." Her eyes went wide as she felt his hand move to caress her cheek. "We're going to take very good care of you."

* * *

><p>"You're catching on quickly Sakura." Said girl was currently sparring with Kiba as he conversed with her. She sent a series of punches toward him only to have him block every one. She pulled her right arm back once more and aimed another punch to his face. Kiba grabbed her wrist and threw her body to the side.<p>

He was on her again in an instant making her block and dodge his powerful punches. Tiring of this game quickly, Kiba decided to end this spar. He pulled his arm back for one more potent punch. Just as he was about to make contact, she ducked below his range. Bracing herself with the palms of her hands flat on the floor, she delivered a successful kick to her opponent's abdomen.

Kiba back flipped with the force of the kick and landed in a crouch. He rose smirking at his student. "Not bad."

Wiping the sweat from her brow with her forearm she replied. "Just you wait Kiba. I'll knock you on your ass soon enough."

"Challenge eagerly accepted, Sakura." The two didn't drop their smirks until they made it to the nearby table currently holding all the refreshments. She handed her sparring partner a small cup of water and they both leaned against the table watching the others finish up their spars.

They weren't at "headquarters" anymore. Now they were back at the regular dojo where Naruto normally spars. Apparently it had been under some reconstruction the day of orientation. Shikamaru explained to Ino and Sakura later on that the building that had hosted their first meeting, the one Sakura self dubbed the "Stupid mass of concrete that housed sexist pigs and never ending hallways" was the original building that was used for their assemblies and spars when the dojo first opened. But later when the dojo grew, Kakashi and Gai sensei opened up the building they were using today. The first one was mostly used for storage now, which explained all the extra equipment she had noticed throughout the first day.

She and Ino had been coming here for a little over a week now. Sakura fully enjoyed this form of exercise. It helped her keep in shape and was a good stress release after a long and stressful day at the hospital. She looked across the hall to see her two childhood friends sparring against one another. Ino also enjoyed the intense workout sessions. Sakura couldn't help but shake her head as she remembered her and Ino's conversation after the first day. The two had been enjoying a nice lunch when the "epiphany" hit her best friend.

_"Sakura." Said female cocked her head to the side, wondering what made her blonde friend so serious. "We're going to have killer asses after this." Sakura had nearly fallen out of her chair from laughter that day._

"Ow! Ino-chan! Why'd you hit me so hard?" Naruto was currently sitting cross legged on the floor mat rubbing his slowly swelling head.

Ino merely ignored the whining boy and walked gracefully toward the small table to grab her own drink. Sakura merely raised an eyebrow at her friend's antics.

"What? Hitting Naruto makes me feel better."

"Long day at work?"

"More like long week ahead of me." She raised the cup to her lips and sipped her water. "I have so many flower arrangements due this week it's maddening!"

"Well it is early spring…"

"…which means it is wedding season." Ino sighed happily. "It is nice though, being a part of something so beautiful."

"You're such a romantic."

"Like you're not?" The two were so engrossed in their conversation they failed to notice Kiba slowly making his retreat.

"Alright everyone, this concludes today's session." Kakashi sensei leaned against the far wall reading that ever present orange book of his.

As everyone made their way to stand before their sensei, Sakura took in her surroundings once more. There were only a few girls here; not nearly as many that showed up at orientation. Lee had oh-so-exuberantly explained that they had split the classes up into two groups. The other party met at another time and had different sensei's teaching them. The one her and Ino were in was set at a faster pace and delved into more complex techniques. Honestly, it didn't feel much like a "self-defense" class anymore. It was more like legit martial arts training. But she wasn't complaining. None of the skills she was learning were useless.

There were only four other girls in her class. They didn't socialize much with herself, Ino, or TenTen. As a matter of fact, if she was completely honest with herself, Sakura didn't really want to get to know them. On the first day of class, she had tried introducing herself but those four just shrugged her off like they were better than her. She didn't try again after that. But just because they didn't interact with her and her friends didn't mean they didn't try to get to know the guys. Every chance they got, those four were flirting with Naruto and the others.

One of them, Midori, had long, brown, curly hair she always kept tied up in a high ponytail; she was the loudest. Aoi had short blue hair; she was the quieter one. The third one, Mari, had black hair she kept tied in a bun on top of her head; she was the cockiest one. All three had their sights set on the males conducting our sessions and all three sent glares towards her and her female friends. But these girls seemed to exhibit a similar behavior in that they all looked to the fourth as their leader. Said leader had long, unrestrained, red hair to match her eyes and wore glasses. While they all dressed a little too inappropriate for Sakura's tastes and all seemed fixated on the opposite sex's attention, this one, Karin was her name, seemed to be only mildly interested in the guys.

Sakura shook her head of her thoughts and paid attention to Kakashi Sensei's words. "You've all done well with honing your fighting abilities. Enjoy the long weekend you have ahead of you, come next week we continue your training."

With that not so subtle dismissal, everyone began gathering their belongings.

Beside her she heard Ino sigh. "I can't wait to go home and take a shower. I'm sweating like a pig!"

An evil smirk made its way to Sakura's face.

"You look like one too." As expected, Ino puffed up beside her, cheeks re-reddening from anger.

"Oh yeah! At least I don't have a huge forehead, Billboard Brow!"

"Come again?!"

"You heard me! Or is that brow of yours so large it reduces your ability to hear correctly?!"

"All I hear coming out of your mouth is your incessant snorting!"

The two girls were in each other's faces glaring maliciously.

Witnessing the retorts unfold, TenTen held her hands up in a placating gesture. Her facial expression showed how uncomfortable she was with the situation. "Um, guys?"

The two unlocked glares with each other and looked at their bun haired friend.

"You don't want to get involved in this TenTen."

"Ino's right." The two faced their bodies toward the weapon's specialist. "Or we'll turn on you!" The two lunged forward and threw their arms around their friend enveloping her in a tight hug.

"Wha-?"

Sakura and Ino just continued embracing the girl and only laughed harder at the girl's confusion. TenTen finally resigned and joined in.

"Jeez, you two are going to give me whiplash with your mood swings."

"Don't worry Ten, even though Ino annoys the hell out of me, I would never do anything to hurt her." She grinned from ear to ear.

Ino chuckled. "Same here."

The girls laughter ceased however as they heard Karin and her group gasp. Sakura looked over to see a very familiar man walk into the dojo. True anger quickly overtook her emotions as she watched _him_ walk up to Gai and Kakashi Sensei.

_Just what in the hell is _he_ doing here?_

"Whoa. Who is that?" Ino's gaze was one of captivation as she watched the tall man walk confidently into the room.

"That's Sasuke Uchiha." TenTen responded, disentangling herself. "I believe Sensei mentioned him at orientation. He's a Captain alongside Neji-kun and the others."

"He's gorgeous."

"He's a conceited jerk who needs to learn some manners."

The two girls looked to see that the pinkette was visibly shaking and currently glaring daggers at the new comer from across the room. If looks could kill, he would be writhing in pain right about now.

"Saku-"

"Teme! Long time no see." Naruto ran up to Sasuke in greeting and leisurely threw a hand on said man's shoulder. "How ya' been buddy?"

Sakura's eye twitched. _Buddy?_

"Hn. Dobe,"

_Did he just call _my _best friend an _idiot_?_

"Sasuke-kun!" Karin shoved Naruto to the side and clung herself to the dark haired man's arm. It didn't take long before the Uchiha was surrounded by the rest of—what Sakura could clearly decipher as—his fangirls.

"Eh? What just happened? Why did you shove me Karin-chan?"

"AH! Young Sasuke-kun. How was your trip to Oto?" Gai placed his hand on Sasuke's free shoulder and gave a thumbs up. "I hope it was a joyous experience full of youth!" Sasuke's eye now twitched in what Sakura would assume as annoyance.

_I officially love Gai Sensei._

"Ahem," Kakashi interrupted the rather, awkward, gathering in front of him. "It's nice to see you doing well Sasuke. Your trip was uneventful I hope."

His only response was Sasuke extricating himself from the grips of his fangirls.

"In any case you're just in time. Allow me to introduce you to the students." Kakashi's lone eye crinkled in evidence of his hidden smile. "Everyone, this is Sasuke Uchiha. He is your Captain."

* * *

><p>Sakura tried controlling her emotions as she made her way to the familiar bar across town. Why the hell did she agree to meet up with everyone from the dojo again? Just then, Naruto's cheerful face from that afternoon appeared in her mind.<p>

_"Sakura-chan, we're all going to Cid's to celebrate Sasuke-teme's return. You'll be there too right?"_

Sakura sighed. How could she say no to that? He looked so happy to have his friend home. Speaking of which, how come she had no idea Sasuke even existed? She might not have ever met Kiba and the other's before she started taking up lessons but she remembered hearing about them often. Enough so she could have probably guessed who was who without any introduction. Somehow the Uchiha completely escaped her attention. If she thought about it though, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Remembering the glare he sent her way when he locked eyes with her that afternoon, she just wished he could have forever stayed omitted from her life.

"Sakura-san?"

Sakura turned to see an old yet familiar face smiling at her. "Hinata!" Said girl quickened her pace to meet the young doctor in the street. "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you since we graduated high school!" She enveloped the girl in a hug.

"Neji-nisan invited me out tonight. I've been away for family obligations and have just returned home today."

Sakura knew the two were related. The day she was introduced to her quiet captain she didn't miss the familiar last name or the similar appearance. She knew Neji had to be related to her quiet friend. She just never thought it appropriate to ask him about it.

"So you're coming to Cid's?" A nod was all Sakura needed to wrap arms with the shy girl and pull her the rest of the way. "I'm on my way there right now. Oh, Ino will be so happy to see you!"

* * *

><p>And Sakura was right, as soon as the two girls walked through the door, Ino took notice immediately of the new comer. Just as Sakura had, the blonde embraced her long lost friend in joy. It wasn't until Ino started blubbering like a fool that Sakura noticed she was clearly already drunk. And when Ino was drunk, she became very emotional very quickly.<p>

"Come on Hina! Let's go see everyone!" The poor girl was yet again pulled along for the ride. The others welcomed Hinata warmly. All the guys had already met her on some previous occasions and for that Sakura was glad.

"Welcome back Hinata-chan!" Naruto graced her with his well-known smile. The girl instantly reddened. "Hey, Hinata-chan are you okay? You look a little red. Do you have a fever?" he placed his hand to her forehead. "You're a little warm." This only made the girls blush more prominent.

"I-I'm fine, Naruto-kun. Thank you."

"Hn. Since when are you the health expert, dobe?" His voice made Sakura instantly forget about the amusing scene in front of her. _That's right. He's here too._

The man she had yet to forgive was sitting just a few feet in front of her at the bar. A single glass sat in front of him. Next to him lay multiple martini and margarita glasses. Sakura sighed. _Well, I know where Ino is sitting._

"Shut up teme! I know way more than you! That's for sure!"

A scoff was Sasuke's only response.

Naruto growled in anger. "If anyone is the health expert here it's Sakura-chan!"

Sakura bristled as Sasuke turned ever slightly to glance in her direction. They just stared at each other.

"Oh that's right. You two haven't met." Animosity forgotten, Naruto threw yet another heart-warming smile on his face and introduced the two to one another.

"We've met." Naruto stared at the girl who spoke.

Sasuke only looked away uninterested.

"Wait, you have?"

Since the stuck up asshole deemed it unnecessary to respond to the blonde's question, Sakura did. "On orientation day. He's not very good at making a first impression."

"I'm not the one who carelessly runs in to people."

"At least I have dignity."

"You call sitting on the floor and yelling profanities dignity?" He looked conceited sitting on his stool. And his smirk was doing nothing to calm her anger.

Her fist was clenching for nothing better to do and her negative emotions were running rampant.

"Hey! How dare you glare at my Sasuke-kun." Sakura looked to her left to see Karin and posse standing defiantly. Karin's outstretched hand was pointing at Sakura.

Sakura raised an elegant eyebrow.

"You have no right to talk to our dear Sasuke-kun!" Midori announced.

Sakura stared.

"Yeah, back off." Aoi chimed in.

Then she blinked.

"He's too good for you anyway." Mari said her piece.

Sakura looked at the four in front of her then at Sasuke who seemed to not even be paying attention to the display going on in front of him, then back to the four.

"You can have him. In the meantime I need a drink. Come on Naruto." She left the four girls gaping and a silent Uchiha wondering as she drug Naruto to a table and ordered something strong to drink. She planned on fully drinking away her stress tonight.

* * *

><p>So here's the update :) Nine whole pages! Whew! Thanks for sticking with me on this story.<p>

I wanted to concentrate on Sakura's personality and friendship on this chapter as you can see with all the hugging and laughter. I did want to incorporate some SasuSaku BUT it's super long as it is so that's going to have to wait for the next chapter ;)

And of course I would love to hear what you think so feel free to leave a review!


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